Apparatus for assembly of tube and center radiator cores



March 11, 1969 R. E. CARLSON APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLY OF TUBE AND CENTER RADIATOR CORES Sheet INVENTOR Richard E. Carlson Filed July 19. 1966 March 11, 1969 CARLSON 3,431,620

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLY OF TUBE AND CENTER RADIATOR CORES Filed July 19, 1966 Sheet 2 of 4 1pm i NT E 'I' {in I'l HI: .9 :4 u. in} m I I0 I". 4 1 W 1 .ULAJ/ 5m 51 g E 5 5?: it

INVENTOR Richard E. Carlson March 11, 1969 R. E. CARLSON APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLY OF TUBE AND CENTER RADIATOR'CORES Sheet Filed July 19, 1966 INVENTOR Richard E. Carlson March 11, 1969 R. E. CARLSON APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLY OF TUBE AND CENTER RADIATOR CORES Sheet Filed July 19. 1966 Richard E. Carlson United States Patent M 3,431,620 APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLY OF TUBE AND CENTER RADIATOR CORES Richard E. Carlson, Jamestown, N.Y., assignor to Blackstone Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed July 19, 1966, Ser. No. 566,297

U.S. Cl. 29-202 Int. Cl. B23p 19/04 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to methods and apparatus for the assembly of tube and center radiator cores. Radiator cores for automotive vehicles of the tube and center type are made up of alternate rows of hollow brass tubes and copper separators. The hollow tubes carry water between the top and bottom tanks of the completed radiator. The separators act as heat exchanger surfaces between the tubes and air which is drawn through the core. Prior to the present invention tubes and separators were assembled by hand. This was a slow, tedious method of assembling cores and resulted in increased costs to the consumer by reason of the high labor costs.

The present invention makes it possible to receive the copper separators directly from the separator rolling machine and pile them alternately with the tubes, automatically and without the need for handling the separators by hand. By my invention it is also possible to mix separators and tubes of several thicknesses. In short it is possible to alternate a given number of light tubes with a given number of separators and then automatically to change and alternate a different number of heavy tubes with a different number of separators. All this is accomplished automatically without manual assistance.

Preferably, I provide an apparatus for automatic assembly of tube and center radiator cores comprising means for successively delivering a formed length of separator, guide means receiving said separator and resiliently holding the same, pusher means advancing each said separator into the guide means, magazine means delivering at least two side-by-side tubes onto each length of separator, and means on the guide means maintaining said tubes spaced from each other on the separator. Preferably, the magazine means is provided with side-byside frames carrying stacked tubes and feeder means delivering simultaneously a tube from each frame onto the last separator delivered to the guide means. Table means are provided receiving the stacked separators and tubes, said table means having rib means maintaining said tubes in uniform spaced relationship with one another and the separators.

In the foregoing general description of my invention I have set out certain objects, purposes and advantages. Other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus according to my invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus of FIGURE I viewed from the left;

3,431,620 Patented Mar. 11, 1969 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the stacker frame as viewed from the left of FIGURE 1; 4

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line IV--IV of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a partial section on the line V-V of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a partial section on the line VIVI of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line VII-VII of FIG- URE 2.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated strip forming wheels 10 carried in a frame 11 by which a strip of copper is folded to form an undulant folded separator strip of usual form. Guillotine cutter means 12 is carried on the frame 11 to cut the formed separator into uniform lengths 5. The guillotine cutter 12 may be actuated by rotation of the forming wheels or any other well known means to cut lengths with uniform numbers of folds. The cut length of separator 5 leaving the guillotine cutter 12 enters delivery chute 13 where it is delivered lengthwise into trough 14 on frame 15. Trough 14 is defined by side panels 16 hinged to stacker frame member 17 by hinges 18. The side panels are held in closed position by a bifurcated lock member 16a hinged to the top of frame member 17. The stacker frame member 17 is mounted on stacker end members 19 and 20 fixed to frame 15. The stacker end members 19 and 20 as illustrated provide for four stacks of water tubes 8 and to this end are provided with guide slots 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d and 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d, respectively, into which preformed water tubes are placed one on top of another. The end members 19 and 20 may be formed in two pieces, hinged together by hinge 21 and the top portion provided with a slide stop 22 so that the top portion can be closed by stop 22 and tilted for ease of loading. At the bottom of slots 19a and 19d and 20a 'and 20d are generally horizontal delivery slots 23, one

on each side of trough 14, which receive the water tubes one at a time from the slots for delivery to trough 14. Shuttle bars 24 are provided in each of slots 23 and are operated by cylinders 25 acting on cross heads 26 which are connected at their ends to the shuttle bars 24 through shuttle head 27. At the bottom of slots 1% and and 20b and 20c are sloped delivery slots 28, one on each side of trough 14 which receive the water tubes one at a time from the slots for delivery to trough 14. Shuttle bars 29 are provided in each of slots 28. Each of shuttle bars 29 is connected to a drive member 30 carried in guides 31. Each drive member 30 is provided with a rack 32 engaged by pinions 33 driven through gears 34 by a motor 35.

A compressor bar 36 is provided at the feed end of trough 14. The compressor bar 36 is operated by cylinder 37 and engages the end of the separator in trough 14 to compress it to uniform length in the trough. A feed bar 38 moves vertically in trough 14 by means of cylinder 38a to force the separator into the delivery guide frame 39 beneath resilient members 39a which hold the separator against sliding in the frame. The feed bar 38 is provided with a depending spacer 40 which spaces the water tubes apart on delivery. The guide frame 39 is provided with spacer ribs 41 on each side to maintain the spacing between the water tubes.

The apparatus of my invention operates as follows. A cut length of separator delivered by chute 13 enters trough 14 where one end butts against spacer rib 41 on the side opposite chute 13. The other end of the separator is immediately engaged by compressor bar 36 which moves to the left viewing FIGURE 4 to the position shown in FIGURE 4. The feed bar 38 is forced downwardly by cylinder 38a into guide frame 39. Immediately following this, a pair of water tubes is delivered from delivery slots 23 or 28 depending upon whether cylinders 25 or motor 35 is actuated. The tubes so delivered are pushed into contact with spacer 40. The compressor bar 38 is then raised and the cycle repeated with alternator spacers and paired tubes until sufiicient members have been assembled and pushed onto the horizontal table to form a radiator core. The assembled separators and tubes are removed by a clamping gauge which selects the correct number of separators and tubes for one radiator. This group is then taken to the usual equipment for attaching the top and bottom tanks and completing the radiator assembly.

The use of four slots 19a, 19b, 19c and 19d and a, 20b, 20c and 20d makes it possible to feed two different weights of tube into the assembly, for example, one might feed -6 heavy tubes, 30 light tubes and 6 heavy tubes for each core thus providing added strength at the sides of the radiator. It is obvious that any two pairs of slots 19a and 19d, 20a and 20d or 1% and 190, 20 h and 200 might be eliminated if it was desired to feed only one weight of tubes or alternatively additional paired slots might be added to increase the versatility of the device.

The several actuating cylinders and hydraulic motor are interconnected by any conventional timing circuitry so that the apparatus is automatic in its operation. To this end, the operating cylinder 12 on the guillotine cutter is operated to raise the guillotine, a time delay is introduced to allow the separator to travel the length of chute 13 into trough 14 and then cylinder 37 is actuated to compress the separator. The operating cylinder 38a is actuated as soon as cylinder 37 completes its stroke. Cylinder 37 retracts and cylinders or motor 35 are actuated to feed tubes as soon as cylinder 38a completes its stroke. And cylinder 38a and cylinders 25 are retracted as soon as cylinders 25 complete their stroke. All this can be accomplished by conventional valves and timing devices connected in well-known manner. It is accordingly not deemed necessary to show the valving and timing beyond the foregoing description of operation.

While I have illustrated and described a presently preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

i claim:

1. An apparatus for automatically assemblying tube and center radiator cores comprising means for successively delivering a formed length of separator, guide means receiving said separator and resiliently holding the same, pusher means advancing each said separator into the guide means, magazine means delivering at least two side-by-side tubes onto each length of separator, and

means on the guide means maintaining said tubes spaced from each other on the separator.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magazine means includes a pair of spaced vertical slots on opposite sides of said guide means, said slots engaging the ends of tubes to be delivered and transverse shuttle bars simultaneously pushing a tube from the bottom of each set of slots onto each separator in the guide means.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pusher means is provided with a center depending spacer bar acting to space the tubes apart on the separator.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein compressor means is provided at the entrance to the guide means compressing the length of separator to a standard length fitting into the guide means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magazine means includes two pairs of spaced vertical slots on each of the opposite longitudinal sides of said guide means, said slots engaging the ends of four spaced sideby-side stacks of tubes, two on each side of said guide means, a pair of vertically spaced transverse slots on each side of said guide means each slot communicating between a pair of vertical slots and the top of the guide means, shuttle bars movable in said transverse slots and means acting on the shuttle bars to simultaneously push a tube from one pair of vertical slots on each side of the guide means into the top of a separator in said guide means.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim '5 wherein compressor means is provided at the entrance to the guide means compressing said separator lengthwise to a standard length fitting into the guide means.,

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim -6 wherein the pusher means is provided with a centrally depending spacer bar bearing on the separator prior to movement of the shuttle bars and acting to space the tubes apart on the separator.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the guide means is curved to connect to a horizontal run-out table, said run-out table having tube spacer means holding the tubes in spaced position between the separators.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,686,356 8/ 1954 Wol-osianski 29202 2,743,512 5/1956 Moyer 2921 1 X 3,256,593 6/ 1966 Whitney 29-202 THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary 'Examiner.

US. Cl. X.=R. 29-211 

